Operation ONE
by Stuffies12
Summary: What happens when Nigel turns over to the other side? A story of heartbreak, loneliness, and betrayal.
1. Chapter 1-1 - The Interview

_I finally can post this story here! Of course it's far from done and in terms of length it will be quite long too so don't expect a quicke out of this one! This story is set in an alternate universe to my other story Operation A.F.T.E.R.M.A.T.H. with more emphasis on Numbuh 1 and the GKND. Although it is not necessary to read that one to understand this one you should read it anyway! As with Operation A.F.T.E.R.M.A.T.H. each chapter will be split into smaller more manageable/readable sub-chapters for you. Basically I will apply the same format to all of my stories to give them consistency. This story was inspired by fictionlover94's prompt here: _

[topic/76094/81290743/1/Could-someone]

_So a big thank you to her for providing an interesting source of inspiration!_ _I will not be updating this story as much as my main one so this one will be a lot slower. Nevertheless, I hope you do decide to follow this story as you will be quite surprised at what happens. So without further ado:_

* * *

**Operation O.N.E.**

**O**n  
**N**igel's  
**E**vil

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Initiation **

* * *

Chapter 1-1 - The Interview

_The following chapter takes place immediately after the events of Operation I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S._

The interior of the ship was massive to say the least. Numbuh 1 knew the cake-sized ship was big but never thought how spacious it really was until he was inside it. It was one of those things where you had to be there to really comprehend the size and scale of the Galactic Kids Next Door Mothership. The entire ship was brightly lit by florescent looking lights high in the ceiling. The floors and the walls were a shiny metallic chrome color and everything looked clean and futuristic, unlike the dusty and primitive looking treehouses on Earth. Everything looked so bright, Numbuh 1 lightheartedly thought of whether it was a bad decision to leave his sunglasses back with Numbuh 5.

The ship itself was divided into three floors. As Numbuh 1 leaned over the railings he could see dozens of ships lined up side by side. No doubt it was the hangar bay. The ships looked like much more triangular and streamlined versions of jets the adults used on Earth. Numbuh 1 could make out little figures moving across the large floor space. Some of the people were inspecting the ships. Occasionally he would spot operatives driving strange looking equipment through the hanger like he would see in airports when the ground staff would move luggage to a plane.

Looking directly in front of him he could see gigantic transparent rooms. On the left and right of the suspended aisle he was standing on. The rooms seemed to be attached only by the platform he was standing on. Otherwise it looked like the rooms were floating in the air. There were other catwalks criss-crossing each other in the large space with similar rooms. Numbuh 1 was slowly making his way through the platform gazing at each of the rooms as he past them. The first one on his right looked like a giant gun range with rows and rows of target ranges like a bowling alley. He could see people…no, _aliens_, holding weird looking weapons in their hand as they fired on moving targets.

The room to his left looked like a gigantic swimming pool. More than three-quarters of the room was covered in water, or at least what looked like water. It had a light green-ish tinge to it. Small submersible vehicles dove inside as they weaved around obstacles. They had a similar triangular shape to the aircraft Numbuh 1 saw earlier, but much smaller and thicker with their hull. And their colour was jet black, slowly turning into a dark grey at the bottom.

As he continued walking he past more rooms. One of them looked like a forest or a jungle. He could see a mini-map displayed on a screen attached to the front of the room which Numbuh 1 assumed where the operatives were. It looked like a very advanced combat simulation. Another room was a lab, completely white and sterile with probably thousands of test tubes and beakers and other equipment. He past more and more room each one different from the others.

Above him was a circular platform in the center of the ship covered by metal walls. Most likely the control center. There were six catwalks that protruded from the control center which lead to different doors on the walls of the ship. Whatever lay past those doors was something Numbuh 1 could only imagine, for now anyway.

He was completely engrossed with his surroundings he didn't spot the yellow alien running toward him with a metallic helmet looking device in his hand.

Numbuh 1 snapped out of his daze when he felt something being put on his bald head. He turned around and saw the alien in front of him and screamed which wasn't a good thing, as his scream echoed through the entire ship. The alien looked at him worryingly and motioned with his two hands to calm down. Numbuh 1, still in shock from seeing an alien up close simply turned and ran forcing the alien to chase after him.

The alien quickly tackled him to the ground and pinned him against the floor. Two of his hands held Numbuh 1's arms and the alien's other two hands adjusted the helmet and pressed buttons. The helmet then securely strapped on Numbuh 1's head as it started to vibrate. Numbuh 1 closed his eyes at screamed as the helmet continued it's vibrating and whirring until it stopped a few seconds later.

"Please stop screaming! Hello? Can you understand me? Please stop screaming!"

Numbuh 1 could hear someone speaking English and looked left and right to see who it was.

"Up here moron." Numbuh 1 looked at the yellow four-armed alien. _He_ was speaking English! The alien cautiously lifted himself off Numbuh 1 and he quickly stood up. "Are you humans always that…crazy?" He looked questioningly at the new recruit.

"Emm…no. Sorry. It's just…well…" Numbuh 1 didn't know what to say. He was still trying to take everything in.

"Yeah yeah I know. 'We're not alone in the universe' and 'first contact' and 'oh my gosh an alien' yadda yadda. You were supposed to stay put over there," the alien pointed to where Numbuh 1 materialized when he boarded the ship, "so we could hook this thing up to you. It scrambles your brainwaves so you can understand everyone here. A lot easier than learning eleventy-billion languages if you ask me. Though some people can, and do, do it."

Numbuh 1 stared at the alien with a blank expression through his whole monologue.

"Obviously I'm boring you here. Either that are you're still trying to get through your head that there is an actual alien in front of you."

"Uh-huh." Numbuh 1 dumbly replied still wearing the same vacant expression.

The alien rolled his eyes and took Numbuh 1 by the hand and walked.

"Come on. We need to get you categorized."

"Categorized?"

"Yeah. Categorized." They approached another door by the wall and the alien took a keycard from his lab coat and sliced it through the card reader next to the door and it gave a beeping sound. Numbuh 1 didn't notice the white lab coat he was wearing earlier. The door opened and he dragged Numbuh 1 inside.

The inside of the cake looked like a maze to Numbuh 1. The halls were much thinner compared to the spacious catwalks outside and there were metal doors almost right next to each other, maybe not more than a few inches separated between them. The interior was lit in a dark pink shade. Numbuh 1 noticed the halls kept branching off into different hallways and he soon lost track of where they came from. The alien leading however seemed to know where he was going. He suddenly didn't mind the iron grip he was having on Numbuh 1's wrist.

They finally approached a door (that looked exactly the same as the others) and the alien swiped his keycard. The door opened revealing a relatively small room with a table and two chairs on either side. The room was perfectly white. It looked a bit unsettling to be in but before Numbuh 1 could argue the alien pushed him into the room.

"Wait here. The Catergorizer will be here shortly."

"Wait! Where am I? Who is the Catergorizer? What am I–" Before Numbuh 1 could finish the alien walked out and the metal doors were closed shut.

Numbuh 1 panicked for a little while before getting himself together. Being in a panicked state was no use in his situation. There was no reason for him to feel anxious anyway. He was still in the KND technically, just a higher level organization that's all. He took a seat on the chair and patiently waited.

A hologram appeared in front of him a minute later. It was a bit surprising to Numbuh 1 that the hologram was blue and fuzzy, similar to the projections on Earth. He would've thought holograms would be more advanced in the GKND. Well, if he was really speaking his mind, he would've thought someone would have actually bothered to physically show up. But he kept that thought to himself. When the hologram cleared he was surprised to see it was Numbuh 362! Numbuh 1 fell back in his chair in shock. What was she doing here? Had she known about that GKND all along?

Numbuh 1 clumsily got up. "N-Numbuh 362 sir. I didn't expect to see you here." He gave a salute.

"At ease soldier." Numbuh 362 smiled. Numbuh 1 relaxed a lot more knowing there was another person in the GKND. He felt nervous leaving everyone he knew behind, knowing that he would possibly never see another human again.

"I'm really glad to see you here Numbuh 362!" Numbuh 1 happily said. "I can't believe you knew about the Galactic Kids Next Door all along! Gosh…I-I-I can't believe it you know!" Numbuh 1 grinned.

Numbuh 362 was looking nervous and Numbuh 1 noticed it.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I don't know how to tell you this Numbuh 1. So I'll just say it…or maybe show it." The hologram shrunk into a tiny floating ball about the size of a marble.

"I am not Numbuh 362 I'm afraid." The voice was coming from the ball of light and Numbuh 1 leaned forward to make sure he wasn't hearing things. The voice was a male and had a slightly nasally quality to it though not as bad as the scientists back on Earth. "I'm Numbuh EB-4000. As you may or may not know I'm the Categorizer. This is my regular form. I'm a projection being, meaning I can change myself into a hologram form of any living being I see. I can also take over certain electronic devices. Sorry to disappoint you Numbuh 1 but you are the only human here." Numbuh EB-4000 sounded very apologetic and he could see, if he could call it seeing, that Numbuh 1 was visibly upset by this.

"I'm sorry Numbuh 1. I skimmed through your file before this and figured the best way for you to respond positively was to take on the form of your Supreme Leader. I probably should've gone along with the lie and said I was Numbuh 362 but lying isn't really my thing. I'm sorry."

Numbuh 1 tried to calm himself down. He wasn't even thirty minutes on the ship and he was already missing everyone on Earth. The shock of thinking 362 would actually be there with him was a huge relief and it was quickly taken away. He looked at the positives to relieve himself. He was in the GKND and that in itself was a huge achievement for any KND operative. And he was curious about all the new friends he would get to know. After a while Numbuh 1 could speak again, though not completely recovered from the shock.

"It's ok." Numbuh 1 muttered.

"Look, if you like I can change into someone else. Your dad maybe? Or one of your friends in Sector V?"

"No!" Numbuh 1 abruptly shouted. He didn't want to be reminded of home again. "Just, change into anything else. How you usually show yourself in front of other operatives."

"Fair enough. Give me a moment."

The ball of light disappeared for a moment and Numbuh 1 slumped back into his chair. The last thing he wanted to think about was his friends and family back home. He closed his eyes and tried to blank out his mind. As he began to slip into emptiness there was a beeping from the door and a humanoid shaped robot entered the room.

"Hello Numbuh 1. It's me. Numbuh EB-4000."

"Hey."

"Alright then," EB-4000 took the seat opposite Numbuh 1 and sat down. "As you know, we take the best operative from every planet with a Kids Next Door Organization. Each planet has their own test or trial which goes through Global Command here to make sure it's fit as a testing programme. There was some resentment on whether to accept the one given to us from your planet."

"Why is that?"

"Well, you're a young species Numbuh 1. Humans have not been around for very long compared to some of the others here. And your lifespan as a child does not last very long either. Some operatives here have been here for over a hundred years. They're still considered children because their lifespan is much longer than yours. So a human's effectiveness as an operative in the GKND was very questionable. But, your KND insisted so we did. So here you are! Admittedly, many scientists here wanted to see a human up close so maybe that influenced our decision as well. We don't know much about you."

Numbuh EB-4000 rested his robotic head on his hands as he placed the mechanical elbows on the table surface. "So tell me about yourself Numbuh 1."

"Where should I start?"

"What can you do?"

"What can I do?" Numbuh 1 looked confused.

"What are your natural abilities? What can humans do?"

Numbuh 1 was even more confused by the nature of the question. What did that mean anyway? _What can I do? What is he talking about?_

"I don't think I understand."

"Hmm…this could be a bit of a predicament then. You would understand the question if you knew your abilities at all but, and I hope I am wrong, it seems humans may not have an inherent ability at all! Or maybe it's just you." EB-4000 tilted his head. "Too bad I can't ask anybody on Earth. I could take you to medical but we're about to lift off soon and after lift off you're scheduled for a test, of sorts. So, let's continue on. Tell me something else about yourself. I know I have a file put it only says so much." The robot leaned back on his chair.

It was strange seeing a robot act like a human in its physical mannerisms. Numbuh 1 wondered how he could physically imitate such things if he never had a body in the first place. It probably would've taken years of observation to mimic and be comfortable in doing such things.

"About myself…well, I don't know what else to say if you already have the file."

"Right then. Maybe you'll feel more comfortable if I asked you some questions and we can get going on a little back and forth." Numbuh 1 nodded in agreement. "Ok then. Hobbies?"

"I like my work. I guess being the leader of the Kids Next Door is my hobby. I play yipper cards sometimes with Numbuh 2, 1200, 74.239 and the other scientists."

"You say you enjoy being the leader of Sector V. Why is that?"

"I like to lead. I like to think I'm a good leader even though I don't really say it. Numbuh 362 once gave me the position of Global Tactical Officer but I turned it down to stay with Sector V."

"Interesting." That _was_ interesting to Numbuh EB-4000. He liked to lead, and he assumed he was good at it. But he turned down a high-ranking position to stay with his friends. So he was analytical but also emotional. An interesting combination. Many would not suspect an emotionally driven being to be a good leader. They would not be able to think rationally. It would be interesting to see how he does in those parts of the test.

EB-4000 already knew how emotional humans could be by his initial reaction when Numbuh 99.0 ran up to him with the Translator. He was curious to know to what extent they were emotionally receptive. If he was too receptive it might prevent him from going out into the field, with the few exceptions such as Numbuh _i_.

"I did ok in school I guess. I like my friends and consider them very close to me. I did have a girlfriend but she broke up with me shortly before all this."

This grabbed EB-4000's attention. Humans were much more emotionally receptive than he originally thought.

"I like to fight. Play games in the playground. Anything a kid my age would do, except they're not in the Kids Next Door."

"How would you position yourself in the KND?"

"I think a lot of operatives knew me well enough. If the fact that Numbuh 0 didn't catch their attention then something else must have. Me and my sector have gone on quite a few interesting missions." Numbuh 1 smiled slightly at the memories.

"Of course. You believed in the Numbuh 0 story didn't you?"

"Yes I did." _Emotionally attached and is loyal to family and friends. Believes in a higher figure as a role model. Yet is considered an effective leader and well known even before a major event which affected him. This is going to be complicated._

EB-4000 rubbed his forehead. It was strange to see really. But since RB-4000 could connect with machines he could actually feel himself rubbing his forehead. Thinking for a few moments before finally getting up.

"Thank you Numbuh 1. I'm sure the tests will reveal a bit more about yourself and the scientist's evaluation would too but nothing beats a one on one talk don't you think?"

"Yeah. Yeah I guess not."

"Well Numbuh 1 if you would follow me we're going to the evaluation room for those tests. I will still be here with you for the categorizing. I rarely ever have to follow a new operative for tests but your case is much more, unique."

Numbuh 1 tried to think how he could be more unique than these aliens which special powers. He pushed the thought aside and closely followed EB-4000 to their next location. Getting lost in the winding hallways of the ship was the last thing he wanted.

* * *

**Galactic Kids Next Door - T.R.A.N.S.L.A.T.O.R.**

**T**aking  
**R**andon  
**A**bnormal  
**N**onsensical  
**S**ounding  
**L**anguage  
**A**nd  
**T**urning  
**O**n  
**R**ecognizability

* * *

_Just setting the scene and stuff here and there. As I say in all my chapters, feedback is greatly appreciated by you folks! I hope you've enjoyed what I have so far so please stick around. More is coming!_

_Disclaimer: C:KND belongs to Mr. Warburton_


	2. Chapter 1-2 - Root and Imaginary Numbers

_Next chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 1-2 - Root and Imaginary Numbers

Numbuh 1 continued to follow the robot operative through the hallways when a low rumbling sound emanated from deep inside the ship.

"What was that?" Numbuh 1 said.

"Heh. We're taking off." EB-4000 chuckled.

"Taking off?" Numbuh 1 gasped. "Now?"

"Yeah. You should've been in medical by now. Looks like we're going to wait until after take off. Can you handle that?"

"Of course I can! I've been to Moon Base and back. I'm sure I can handle take-off into space."

"You've only ever travelled to your Moon and back, and a couple of other planets within your solar system in a few of your missions. This isn't anything like it. We're blasting into deep space. You know, hyperdrive and stuff. I don't think your body has ever experienced such a thing?"

"It can't be that bad." Numbuh 1 really thought it didn't sound like a big deal.

"There's your confidence I've heard about." EB-4000 snapped his fingers, which sounded weird since they were metal. It was like a sharp scraping sound. "Oh sure, you may think that but the enormous amount of energy needed to lift this bad boy into deep space is insane! You'll feel the force pushing down on you so hard it's almost like being flattened by a steamroller. Everyone here's used to it now and those that can't physically handle the force go into their rooms where the pressure is maintained. But hey! I don't know anything about humans. I guess you have a lot of resistance since you're not so worried about it."

Numbuh 1 gulped nervously in response. He certainly wasn't expecting that.

"I think we should find a room." Numbuh 1 said shakily. EB-4000 smirked.

"So much for that confidence. Medical doesn't have a pressure stabilizer and, we haven't set up a room yet for you."

"What?" Numbuh 1 meant to shout, but it came out as a squeaky yelp.

"There is a spare room but it's on the other side of the ship. I can get there of course but, you know, time." As if the rest of the crew were in on the sick joke, an alarm sounded throughout the ship, echoing along the corridors while bright blue lights were flashing. "Hey look at that! We're only minutes from take-off! Still think you can handle the pressure? Or do you want me to lead you to the room?"

Numbuh 1 was already sweating nervously. Only half an hour in the Galactic Kids Next Door and he could be flat as a pancake before they even leave Earth!

"What are you waiting for? Let's go now!"

* * *

The knock on the door didn't register as the Plugger kept working away on his latest invention. The door slid open and Numbuh 99.0 stepped inside, ducking under the doorway. The room was much too small for him and it annoyed him. He had to be extra careful with his four arms to make sure he doesn't break the random bits and bobs lying around. There was a lot of tech in the room and as long as it worked he didn't really care who made them or how it was made.

"I told you not to enter my room unless I tell you to." the Plugger spoke, not bothering to look up at 99.0.

"Save your lip android. We have a new recruit."

"So?" the operative continued working on his invention, soldering random pieces together.

"He could be assigned to you. You could be going back out into the field." 99.0 smirked at the Plugger's reaction. He didn't show much, as usual, but there was a slight twitch of his natural hand when he said he might be going out into the field again. "That good huh? You know, I remember the last one didn't even last three months before he practically begged to be assigned to another sector." The Plugger turned his chair to face 99.0. The light faced him now and 99.0 could see more of the operative in front of him.

Almost his entire body was covered in jet-black metallic plating. His whole body fused with intricate nanotechnology on his home planet. He was, as Numbuh 99.0 put it, an android. The upper half of his face looked like he was wearing a combat helmet. His eyes fused together with bionic glasses giving him not only enhanced vision, but also different modes such as infrared and sonar. The perfectly round glasses glowed a crimson red. His brain was basically a supercomputer able to process millions of raw data in a short amount of time. Aside from that, the supercomputer was designed to suppress emotions that could potentially arise from his mind. 99.0 could see his shoulder pads were a bit bulky, no doubt concealing some sort of portable missile launcher. Parts of his arms were covered in the metal armor but there were other bits that weren't. From what could be seen, the android had a pale white skin color. His left hand was completely robotic with three fingers. His other hand however was left untouched by the technology surrounding his body. Five fingers. Just like other humanoid shaped beings. His entire back, and lower body was completely integrated with the robotic suit. All this was done in childbirth.

Numbuh 99.0 and Numbuh root-2 never got along well with each other. It wasn't the fact that they rarely saw each other, it was more of the classic 'brains against brawns' conflict. Nerds against jocks.

"You know what happened then right?" the android stated emotionlessly. It sounded almost menacing to 99.0, even if he knew the operative didn't mean to sound it that way.

"Yeah. There weren't any other sectors available so he took a desk job instead. What's your point?"

The android operative sighed. "My point is, if a Lordon, who if I may repeat the medical team's evaluation of him. _'A calm and level headed operative who keeps grounded and realistic mind even during the most stressful of situations',_ ran off to Global Command groveling and pleading with them to move him to a desk job, how is an _Earthling_ ever going to handle the job of being the leader of Sector VA?" Numbuh root-2 emphasized some of the words to make sure his message got across.

The rumbling from the ship, followed by the blue alarm alerted the two to the ship's take-off but it was hardly a concern. They continued talking.

"Look. I don't know and frankly I don't really care. You look happy enough fiddling with all these machine parts and everything but if you're frustrated then take it up with Global Command. They told me to tell you to get your robot parts up to the briefing room now." 99.0 was getting fed up with hanging around.

Root-2 stood up and while he was about half as tall as 99.0 he was a little taken aback at the gesture of courage.

"I am _not_ frustrated. Let's go." He pushed 99.0 out of the way and walked out the door.

"You're going the wrong way." 99.0 said.

Root-2 turned around. "We're going to get the rest aren't we?"

"Captain's orders."

"Great…" root-2 muttered under his breath. He couldn't suppress his disappointment in seeing his other teammates.

It wasn't that he hated them or anything of the sort, he just couldn't socialize. He was a half-robot who had his emotions suppressed from birth! It wasn't surprising he couldn't act like how others expect everyone else to. It simply wasn't natural for him. He preferred being by himself instead of other people. More specifically, he preferred being with other machines which was why he liked to stay cooped up in his room. Lately that was his reality and it was fine with him until this happened.

And that was part of the problem. It was why he was never out in the field in the first place even when he did technically belong to a treehouse sector. It was why operative that were supposedly 'good leaders' could never stay with them for more than a month. Him and his teammates had no chemistry. They always fought and quarreled about everything. Sometimes it would get violent to the point where the leader could do nothing but watch until the team members' rage had subsided. Sometimes it resulted in them not talking to each other for days, or maybe weeks. Not willing to cooperate or go out on missions or do anything. Sector VA had a lot of potential and root-2 knew it. Their teammate composition was extremely unique and varied, and in theory they were supposed to be extremely effective working together. But it wasn't just their powers that were varied; it was also their personalities. And the conflicting personalities between his fellow teammates always got in the way of missions every time.

From experience, root-2 knew this was a futile task. He knew this would not last long but it seemed the GKND were desperate to create something out of him and his teammates. _It's only going to be for a month and no more. Then you get to go back to your room._ Numbuh root-2 thought as he turned around and followed 99.0.

* * *

"How much farther are we?" Numbuh 1 panted as he continued to run. It felt like he was running for ages. The corridors looked exactly the same wherever he turned and he was panicking much more as the thought of him being crushed under enormous force got to him. It was definitely unappealing.

"Not much further now I think. Stop thinking about the take-off and just run!" EB-4000 looked behind his shoulder.

Numbuh 1 really thought about how someone could navigate their way through the ship. He knew he wasn't going to stay on board the ship forever, not unless he somehow got a job as a janitor or something, but memorizing the entire layout of a huge spaceship proved extremely difficult. There were one or two instances of him wandering into random parts of Moon Base. If he could get lost back the Moon Base, how was he ever going to make his way around this maze? What's worse is that everything looks the same! At least in the interiors of the ship. Numbuh 1 really wanted to go back outside and see those floating transparent rooms. They looked really cool.

For now though, he kept running making sure he didn't lose track of the operative in front of him.

EB-4000 turned right and Numbuh 1 heard a crashing sound. When he was at the corner he saw he collided with two other operatives.

"Watch where you're going robot!" the gruff operative with four arms said. Numbuh 1 recognized him as the guy who tackled him down and strapped on that helmet.

"I'm trying to get someone to a pressure chamber! Move it." EB-4000 turned to Numbuh 1. "Don't just stand there. Let's go!" and he continued running.

Numbuh 1 could see that there was another robot next to the big operative. There were a lot of robots here, thought something seemed a little different about the robot. It was about his height and it was looking at him with ominous red glowing eyes. Numbuh 1 didn't want to feel any more uncomfortable than he was now so he mumbled a quick sorry and followed EB-4000.

"How much further are we now?" Numbuh 1 said when he caught up to EB-4000.

"Not much longer now, although the same could be said for the mothership launch. There's probably some delays or something happening in the control room. Let's not waste any more time."

* * *

"You ok?" Root-2 asked out of expectation than anything else. That's what people usually said when they looked hurt.

"Yeah I'm fine." 99.0 said as he lifted himself back on his feet. "Amateurs." He shook his head. "He'll be lucky to last a week with that sort of attitude."

"Whoever it was, he won't get crushed. Yet. The emergency pressure room is just a few hundred meters from here and judging from the ship's movement it seems we're experiencing some technical difficulties."

"Alright. Let's go get your teammates."

Both of them continued walking down the corridors, the walls and ceiling alternating colors between the dark shade of purple and the bright neon blue from the alarms.

Neither of them said anything to each other. They didn't get along that well, which was apparent the moment 99.0 stepped into root-2's room. The tension in the room spiked as soon as he entered. It could be worse though. Root-2 knew a lot of operatives who hated each other's guts, constantly getting into fights and on occasion almost killing each other. It wasn't the shining organization of child freedom he thought it was. As with every large organization, there will always be conflicts, fights, 'office politics', corruption and so on. It wasn't surprising really. The GKND was spread out over whole galaxies, they were stretched too thin to be completely organized. They did get the job though, and that's what mattered. He contributed however he can and recently it was inventing new tech.

The only sounds that could be heard were the blaring sirens and their own footsteps against the metal floor. That was good. As long as root-2 and 99.0 weren't talking they could at least round up everyone without some sort of argument.

From the path 99.0 chose, it looked like he was getting his teammates in first number order. Root-2 thought that was incredibly stupid, seeing as how the closest teammate was only few floors below him but 99.0 selected they would have to go to the other side of the ship past the interrogation room and generator entrance. It was not efficient, and that annoyed root-2. He still couldn't believe some people didn't have any common sense.

A random thought strayed into root-2's mind. _Why does the GKND label everyone using the wrong spelling of 'number'?_ Root-2 reasoned that it must serve some kind of symbolic purpose.

If anyone could be the polar opposite of root-2, it was none other than Numbuh _i_. While root-2 was a cold and calculating machine, Numbuh _i_ was extremely emotional. The sentient beings on her home planet were Emosentials. They relied on emotional reactions which gave them their powers. He remembered a short conversation with Numbuh _i_ when he wanted to know the source of her powers and she replied saying it was just natural. It was probably some hidden sense or a heightened detection. He really didn't know how emotions could be quantified properly. She said she could feel 'auras' of people around her. That each person emitted a different energy and it changed depending on how they were feeling. He didn't really know if it was true, if people dispersed energies out of their bodies in relation to how they are feeling. When he asked what she could feel coming from him, she said he was _'cold, icy cold'._

There was at least one aspect of her power he could get, which was the manipulation of intense light energy as projectiles. Or using the energy to enhance weapons, which root-2 remembered she did at times. The weapons would glow a bright white color when she did so. However, Numbuh _i _insisted that her abilities relied on feeling the emotional energy around her and that threw root-2 back into a loop. How could emotions disperse energy, and 'different' kinds? The only way he though possible was if someone was excited or angry and they kept moving about. Kinetic energy. It couldn't be some other kind of energy like waves could it?

Numbuh _i _looked different physically too. Her long hair went down to her shoulders and was pure white and her pupils were only slightly darker so differentiate between the pupils and cornea. She would wear rather loose fitting clothes which, again, were white. Usually, it was some kind of white jacket and long skirt separated by a grey belt. Her skin was a white peachy color. While root-2's own skin was light due to the lack of sunlight exposure, her's was just, well, really light. Being a humanoid species like him, she was the same in basic body structure. Two hands and two legs. She was also a little taller than him but that hardly mattered.

Root-2 tried to imagine the possible scenarios when they would meet again but as usual, it was a fruitless effort. Emotions were simply too unpredictable and unstable to be able to analyze properly. Of course he could talk to her, that wasn't hard at all. But he couldn't 'be' emotional. He was a rational person in and out. If someone was angry, was he supposed to be angry with them? Was he supposed to be upset? If Numbuh _i_ saw him and she smiled, was he supposed to smile back? What if it was a smile out of politeness and not sincerity? If his suit had more sensors, he could at least sense the minute little patterns that were associated with how a person was feeling. Internal temperature, body language, pulse, and the like. Maybe that's what Numbuh _i_ meant by 'auras'. It could be extremely heightened senses to those particular factors.

Numbuh root-2 didn't realize how deep in thought he was; when he looked up he knew they were in front of Numbuh _i_'s room. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. There was something about not having sufficient data for certain situations that made him edgy. Maybe it was his supercomputer-powered brain screaming at him for more concrete data. He didn't know it, but he was subconsciously hiding behind Numbuh 99.0's much bigger stature.

99.0 knocked on the door and it was answered almost immediately.

"Hi…Numbuh _i_." . He tried to maintain an even voice but it came out softer than he thought. Root-2 limply raised his hand in an attempt at a friendly gesture.

"Hi root-2." Numbuh _i_ smiled back.

* * *

_When I start I story I start churning out chapters quite quickly. So...that's a good thing right? Please leave some feedback too. Thanks for reading!_

_Disclaimer: C:KND belongs to Mr. Warburton._


	3. Chapter 1-3 - Lift Off

Chapter 1-3 - Lift Off

Root-2 simply stared dumbly at Numbuh _i_. He had no idea what to say to her. Usually, root-2 wouldn't say anything at all. Everyone on the ship was too busy with their own problems so there was little need to interact. While he hadn't talked to his fellow teammate in a long time, they spent a considerable amount of time with each other when they were deployed on missions. He had no problem conversing with his other two teammates, but with Numbuh _i _it was much different. He sort of felt like he at least needed to put in some effort to reciprocate some emotion back to her and because of that he could never think of anything to say. And when he did it just sounded weird.

"So are you both going to come in or are you going to leave the door open and leave me squished like a pancake?" Numbuh _i _jokingly said.

"R-right. I almost forgot about that…let's g-go inside. Sorry" Numbuh 2 fumbled over his words. Numbuh _i _was one of the few operatives that needed to be in a pressure chamber on lift off. Root-2 didn't know she was joking.

"Relax Numbuh root-2. I was only kidding!" Numbuh _i _giggled. "Seriously though, come inside. I'm not having you out here in the thin hallways when we take off."

Numbuh _i_ stepped aside to let the two operatives in.

"Clueless…" 99.0 muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

Numbuh _i _sat down on her bed which was facing the door, her feet dangling above the floor. Numbuh root-2 was hesitant on whether he should be so close to Numbuh _i_. He decided to stand in the corner. 99.0 made sure the door was properly sealed and sat on the floor, his height too tall for the room.

"It's really nice to see you again root-2." Numbuh _i _sincerely said. He looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion. She smiled back at him. After all the times they bickered when they were deployed on missions she was glad to see him? He thought she would be despondent or annoyed. This emotions stuff was really confusing him now.

"So guys, what brings you all the way on the other side of the ship?" she asked Numbuh 99.0.

"You very well know the answer to that!" the gruff operative rolled his four-eyes.

"Alright. So it is true. The GKND thinks they got a new leader that can work with us?"

"Yeah." Root-2 said.

"Is it the Earthling?"

"We actually don't know. It could be, or it could be not. Global Command never said anything about our new leader."

"Well that's interesting. How long do you think they'll last?"

It was a common question Numbuh _i _and root-2 asked each other. Unsurprisingly, since their leaders never lasted very long they always wagered a friendly bet on how long their new leader would stay before they eventually cracked. Numbuh root-2 found it good practice to try and maintain his analytical skills, while Numbuh _i_ simply thought of it as a little fun.

"We don't know anything about the new leader. Shouldn't we wait until we have some information about him? Or her?"

"You always need information! How about taking a shot in the dark for a change?" Numbuh _i _grinned.

"I do have information. I just don't have enough." Root-2 replied rather robotically.

"Well that should give you an advantage then! Since I have no information and you have some." She hopped of the bed and walked over to him. Root-2 couldn't move away. He was stuck in a corner.

"I would taunt you by saying you're a coward but I can't since you suppress emotions. That's annoying you know." Numbuh _i_ folded her hands. "I really thought you would take this on. It's a challenge don't you think? All the other times you had more than enough information to know when our leader would quit. I even remember the one time you predicted the correct time right down to the minute! Now that was impressive! What would be even more impressive is if you could get this right with almost nothing about our new leader. Don't you think?"

"I…guess so."

"Come on! It's just a game root-2. I thought you did this stuff 'for practice'." She air-quoted with her fingers.

_How did she know I was practicing my– oh right. Never mind. I should have known._

"Ok. I'll play."

"Great!" Numbuh _i_ jumped and did a little twirl. Numbuh root-2 couldn't help but chuckle a little bit when she did that. They looked at each other before laughing.

A low snorting sound took the operatives' attention and they saw 99.0 sleeping on the floor.

"Poor Heydn. I bet he was awake all day just working on this ship. Lifting and carrying can really knock you out." She whispered. "I'll get him into bed. Why don't you take a seat root-2? When Heydn wakes up we can meet up with the rest of our teammates."

A faint white aura surrounded the four-armed operative as Numbuh _i_ lifted her hand. His body floated off the ground and she guided his body over to the bed.

Root-2 took a seat next to the window. This was probably the longest they've ever gone without shouting at each other constantly. It was a definite positive change. And try as he might, he couldn't deny that he felt good when they were talking and laughing. He felt an emotional response.

Root-2 didn't notice Numbuh _i _stand next to him. She looked out the window with a somewhat somber expression on her face.

"Have you seen this place Rod?" she spoke ever so softly. Root-2 instantly looked up at Numbuh _i_ when she said his real name.

"I-I don't know what you mean." Root-2 said, unaware he replicated the same level of fragility in his voice.

"Earth. Have you ever seen it fully?"

"Of course. Before we touched down we got a full view of the planet."

"No. Not that. I mean, going down there and actually seeing the planet. I heard it was a really beautiful planet."

Outside though, they could only see rocks. The ship was hidden deep inside a large canyon. They could however, see the night sky filled with stars.

"You could even see the stars from here…"

Root-2 stood up and looked outside. He could indeed see the stars. He liked how they were laid out in contrast to the dark blue-ish sky. It was a pleasant contrast. He felt something on his right hand, his natural hand and instinctively pulled away. He knew it was Numbuh _i_ that touched him.

"What was that for?" he faced her. She stayed silent for a while before answering.

"Emotions aren't all that bad Rod…" she replied, while still looking outside the window. "Didn't you like it when we were talking? When we were laughing?"

Root-2 said nothing.

"It was the first time I could feel something from you. Something other than that cold aura I'm so used to feeling around you. Didn't you like that feeling?"

Again he didn't say anything. Although that proved to be an answer itself.

"I don't know why you resent feelings so much. Is it because you think it makes you weak? Is it because you don't like us? I don't know Rod. Say something."

"I can't think…if I feel." Root-2 said. He didn't think what he said made any sense.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Numbuh _i _raised her voice, but only slightly.

"If I let myself feel things, emotionally, I feel clouded. I feel like I cannot think. Like my brain is being clouded and I cannot function properly. It's like a virus that has infected my brain and it spreads. The feeling spreads and I begin to shut down. Not literally. But…I don't know. Sometimes, the feeling feels good and I become even more confused. Like just now."

Numbuh _i_ turned to face Rod. "You really are afraid of letting yourself feel emotions."

"I guess I am." He admitted.

"Rod, can I help you?"

"What?"

"I want to help you. I want to show you that it isn't so bad let yourself feel."

"I…don't think I want to."

"Rod, please. That's not how emotions are supposed to be like. It isn't some virus invading your mind. It isn't something that makes you go crazy. It's not that at all! And I want to show you what you're missing out on.

"I would hate for us to start fighting again when we get to the treehouse again. I don't want this to be a repeat of last time. I want it to be different. I just want everyone to get along. Including you. I don't think you know this but I do consider you as a friend. And yes, even after all the times we fought endlessly when we were out in the field, I cared about you Rod. And I still do.

"I wish you could trust me on this. It's so hard to explain what emotions are to someone who can't comprehend them! I can't put it into words Rod. It's something you have to feel. And when you do, trust me when I say this, you'll love every moment of it. Ever single emotion. It's…it's like being free Rod! That's the only way I could think of describing it. So will you trust me?"

The inherent fear of opening up to someone was acting up again. He knew he should simply say no. But there was a part of him that wanted to see what she was talking about. He was struggling to make a decision. The two conflicting thoughts fought within his head. Before he could even think properly he felt Numbuh _i_'s hand on his. He looked down and for the longest time he simply stared at their hands held together. Rod looked back up and her eyes were wide, expecting an answer.

"Ok…"

* * *

EB-4000 punched in the keycode into the door and it opened. The two operatives collapsed onto the floor on top of each other inside the pressure room as the door shut firmly behind them. Numbuh 1 was panting heavily and EB-4000 lifted himself off of him.

"That was quite a run don't you think?"

"Are you crazy? I could have gotten killed!" Numbuh 1 shouted.

"Well, you're not dead as you can see. So chill out. We're about to lift off soon so you better find something to hold on to."

Numbuh 1 remembered why they were running in the first place. He was too tired to think after all that running. He was sweating heavily and he could barely feel his legs.

"Well, I can at least give a visual report to the guys in medical about your physical abilities." The robot operative grinned.

"Shut up."

EB-4000 lowered his arm and pulled Numbuh 1 up to his feet. He walked over straight to the spare bed and flopped down.

"Boys and girls the new recruit of the Galactic KND!" EB-4000 joked mockingly and laughed. After Numbuh 1 caught his breath he turned around and sat up.

"Well Numbuh 1, in a few minutes we'll be off into the far reaches of space. Sounds exciting doesn't it? The new friends you'll make. All the new planets you will see. All the new things you will experience. Have you ever gone hover racing before? You should one day. It's something I tell every new recruit when they come here. If you have the time, go hover racing!"

"You know, that does sound exciting." Numbuh 1 smiled, feeling a little bit more positive on the whole situation. The notion of getting flattened on lift off was as putting him on edge but the thought of getting to see these new and unknown worlds excited him. His imagination could only serve as a rough picture of what he believed was waiting for him out in space.

Even though he may not have any 'abilities' as EB-4000 had said earlier, he couldn't wait to see what his teammates could do. There were adults back on Earth that had their own unique assortment of powers from shooting fireballs to super strength and super speed. But the thought of kids having these same powers and using them for the fight against adult tyranny was now a very real reality he was about to see and the thought of it was exhilarating.

"You'll love your new teammates Numbuh 1 I guarantee it. They're a really different bunch so I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun getting to know each other."

"Do you know who they are?"

"I only know their numbuhs. Numbuh root-2, Numbuh _i_, and two more operatives. Their names slipped out of me. But rest assured they are a very diverse group of operatives."

Numbuh 1 noticed the window in the room and looked outside. They were still inside the rocky canyon. They were on the other side of the ship facing the other way where Numbuh 1 said goodbye to his teammates. Sector V. His best friends.

The grim reality suddenly hit him like a truck. He will never see his friends again. He will never hang out with them like they did everyday. He was never coming back here. Not until he was a teenager. Then he would forget his friends. He would be a whole different person to the one that left. He never got to say goodbye to everyone in the KND. He never got to thank the others that had gotten him this far. And now he will never get the chance. What he saw out that window was the last thing he would ever remember on Earth. The red rocky walls of a canyon surrounding and hiding the mothership.

Numbuh 1 sagged his shoulders and slumped down. He began to cry. Small tears running down his face, his cheeks. The torrent of emotions going through him. He lost so much by coming here. He lost the ones that meant the closest to him, throwing it away for some opportunity to be in space. Numbuh 1 almost regretted coming on board the ship. He could only hope his friends would be ok without him. EB-4000 heard Numbuh 1 sniffing and saw Numbuh 1 quietly crying.

"Hey, you ok over there?"

"I'm…fine." Numbuh 1 wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

EB-4000 had seen this many times before with the new recruits. He understood what Numbuh 1 was going through.

"Numbuh 1, listen. You're not the only one who's been through his. Everyone here has gone through the same thing you're feeling. We all had to leave things behind that we didn't want to. Some left emotional or sentimental attachments, others didn't like the thought of leaving because of obligation or duty. Either way, we all have experienced this. You can talk about it. Look, talk about it with your teammates. I know they'll understand.

"Besides Numbuh 1, your friends are not going to forget you. They'll be thinking about you, and you'll be thinking about them. And that's not going to change. You'll have new friends here. Friends that understand what you're going through and hopefully ones that you'll feel as close as your teammates back home."

"Thanks." Numbuh 1 said. "That really helped me."

"No prob Numbuh 1. That's what I'm here for!"

_Attention GKND operatives! We are extremely sorry for the delay but we have fixed the problem concerning one of our thrusters. We will now commence lift off in T minus one minute. I repeat. T minus one minute._

_This is it_. Numbuh 1 thought. _My life is about to change forever in five minutes. My friends, my family, I won't be able to see them again. But when I do I'll be a changed person. A teenager. I'm saying goodbye. But I won't forget you. I'll remember all of you as long as I can._ Numbuh 1 clenched his fists as he was determined to make that promise.

_T minus thirty seconds._

"Numbuh 1," EB-4000 spoke, "I suggest you hold on to something tight before we lift off. Now there should be a strap in seat somewhere…" EB-4000 looked around the room. "Here we are!" He folded the seat, which was attached to the wall, down. It looked like one of those seats he saw on an airplane.

_T minus twenty seconds._

Numbuh 1 strapped himself him, the belts buckling with a click sound and waited for the inevitable to happen.

_T minus ten seconds._

A low grumbling sound could be heard and small vibrations rattled throughout the ship.

_Nine…_

Numbuh 1 had never felt more anxious in his life. He was nervous, scared, sad, excited, curious, and a whole lot of other emotions rolled into one. He was shaking and it wasn't because of the ship. He saw EB-4000 standing and looking at the window looking extremely calm.

_Eight…_

The rumbling got louder and the vibrations were more pronounced as small objects began moving under the vibrations from the ship

_Seven…_

A whirring sound joined in the convoluted mess of noises coming from the ship. It was the thrusters that were powering up.

_Six…_

The intense vibrations were making Numbuh 1 shake up and down in his seat. He held his hands tightly under the chair to stop himself from moving. The whirring was now on full blast and it sounded like he was next to a wind tunnel.

_Five…_

Numbuh 1 closed his eyes and whispered along with the countdown.

_Four…_

"Four."

_Three…_

"Three."

_Two…_

"Two."

_One…_

"One."

_Lift off!_

"Goodbye."

* * *

_Please leave a review on your thoughts! I would love to hear some feedback from you guys. As always. thanks for reading._

_Disclaimer: C:KND belongs to Mr. Warburton_


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